1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a sheet separating device for use, for example in a sheet counting apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A sheet separating device for use in apparatus for counting a stack of sheets comprising a counting head which in use is traversed along a corner of the stack and has a separating device comprising a suction blade provided with a suction orifice for insertion in the corner of the stack, which blade is oscillatable about a horizontal axis to separate a corner of a sheet in the stack adhered by suction to one side of the blade from the next sheet, and a wiping pin movable in an elongate orbit around the blade to transfer the corner of the sheet from one side of the blade to the opposite side thereof together with means to count the number of transfer operations effected.
U.K. Patent Specification Nos. 1346749, 1426523, 1455108, 1455109 and 1455110 all describe and illustrate examples of such counting machines. The blade/pin movements of all the arrangements shown in these specifications force a wide separation angle between adjacent sheets in the stack which tends to cause damage to the sheets particularly when counting thicker sheets which tend to be permanently creased as a result of the action of the pin/blade in the corner of the stack.
It is an object of this invention to provide a sheet separating device for use in a sheet counting machine in which damage to the sheets as a result of the action of the blade/pin in the stack is avoided or minimised.